HALF BROTHERS BREWING COMPANY

At Half Brothers, creating superior suds is a family affair. Together, siblings Chad and Taylor have created a 10-barrel production brewery and taproom in the heart of Downtown that specializes in locally inspired hand-crafted beers and food. My flight of four brews typically consists of the Classic Golden Ale, Pineapple Power Bomb Sour, Afternoon Squeeze IPA and Gimme the Juice IPA. One of their fresh from the oven pizzas makes a great beer chaser, especially the Spicy Hawaiian (Canadian bacon, pineapple and fresh jalapenos). If you stop by Wednesday-Saturday, after 9 PM, you can also enjoy some toe-tapping tunes with your brews on the Half Brother’s stage.

SKY’S CLOUD 9

Enjoy five-star cocktails and cuisine up high at Sky’s. An evening here comes complete with a second story view of Downtown, full bar service and exquisite cuisine. Thursday is Sky’s Barbecue Night and therefore, my favorite time to dine. An order of their tasty pork ribs bathed in Kansas City Chipotle BBQ sauce pairs perfectly with a flight of three top-notch whiskeys.

VINYL TACO

This funky Southside taqueria serves up some of the freshest and tastiest Mexican street food around. When dining at this vibrant, music-filled space, I find that good things come in threes. Start out with their popular tortilla chip dip trio: pico de gallo, guacamole and queso blanco. When it comes to the muy delicioso street tacos, my top tres includes the carne asada, chicken tinga and shrimp a la parilla. Now, what we really came for…a tasty tequila threesome of Patron Silver, Resposado and and Anejo. Not a Patron drinker? No worries; you can order up a flight of Avion or Don Julio instead.

RHOMBUS GUYS BREWING COMPANY

Located Downtown in the historic Metropolitan Opera House, Rhombus Guys (along with owners Matt and Arron) really knows how to make some iconic ales. This 15-barrel brewhouse serves up its version of several popular styles, while the kitchen produces lotsa great eats like their famously delicious Scotch eggs and best fried Brussels sprouts this side of Belgium. Beer (in delicious dairy form) also plays a starring role in many of the dishes: homemade soft pretzels with beer cheese dip, pulled pork & beer cheese smothered pub fries and a lip-sMACking good bacon beer cheese mac. When it comes to a flight of four here, these are my usual suspects: Iconic Blonde Ale, Greenway IPA, Tropic Wonder Fruited Sour and the Don Johnson Sour. Rhombus also offers a Sunday Brunch, from 11 AM to 2 PM, with plenty of eggcellent offerings and the best beermosa in town.

For more info on the above establishments, along with a complete listing of all our SimplyGrand dining and nightlife options, go to visitgrandforks.com. We also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.